1. Field of Invention
This invention generally relates to golf club accessories, specifically golf club grips.
2. Prior Art
Golfers of all skill levels experience increased difficulty putting when mental stress level is high and an affliction known as “the yips” is encountered. Characterized by elevated blood pressure, perspiration, pulse and respiratory rates, the yips are commonly triggered by the psychological stress of sinking an important putt, and often result in the failure to execute an otherwise routine stroke.
For the sake of describing this invention, “the yips” will refer to mental stress induced mistakes of golf swings both on and off the putting green.
During full swings off the putting green, many golfers find themselves swinging too fast or jerky as a result of gripping the club too tightly. Golfers experiencing both the psychological and physiological effects of the yips are often unaware that they are squeezing the club too tightly (or lightly) while swinging, and consequently abandon one of the fundamentals of an accurate golf stroke.
This invention is an expanded synthetic rubber golf club grip that employs tactile, audible, and visual methods of indicating when optimum squeeze pressure is applied by both hands of the golfer for maximum control of golf strokes.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,607,990 for The Yip Grip is the only prior art as pertains to golf club grips that addresses the yip-afflicted golfer's need for a means of indicating optimum club squeeze pressure for maximum control of golf strokes. This invention is different, in that there are no inflatable bladders, and hence the optimum squeeze pressure required to feel internal ringed protrusions is pre-set by the manufacturer as a function of the density of the grip's expanded synthetic rubber construction. Also, unlike the Yip Grip, this invention utilizes adjustable pressure sensors within the grip that activate an audible device and illuminate a light emitting diode (LED) on the butt end of the grip when the optimum squeeze pressure is being applied with both hands by the golfer. The audible device and LED may be disabled by de-energizing or removing the control unit.